LI Network
Published on: November 01, 2023 at 00:04 IST
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has initiated suo motu proceedings in response to a media report detailing a blast at a cracker storage facility in Bengaluru on October 7. As part of its involvement in the matter, the NGT has included key authorities, including Karnataka’s chief secretary and the member-secretary of the state pollution control board.
According to the report, the explosion transpired at a shop and storage unit in Attibele, located near Bengaluru, while firecrackers were being unloaded from a vehicle. The tragic incident led to the immediate loss of 12 lives, with an additional two individuals succumbing to their injuries during treatment the following day.
In a recent order issued by a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, the tribunal expressed its intent to evaluate the adherence to statutory regulations, the relief provided to the victims, measures taken for environmental restoration, and precautions implemented to avert the recurrence of such incidents in the future.
The bench, which also includes judicial member Justice Sudhir Agarwal and expert member A Senthil Vel, made the decision to involve the state’s chief secretary, the member-secretary of the Karnataka Pollution Control Board, and the proprietor of the Balaji cracker shop in the ongoing proceedings.
Furthermore, the bench directed the state’s legal representative to reveal the name, address, and details of the Balaji cracker shop owner during the next hearing. Additionally, the counsels for the Karnataka Pollution Control Board and the state of Karnataka were instructed to provide information regarding any compensation offered to the families of the deceased victims.
To facilitate further proceedings, the NGT has transferred the case to its Southern Bench in Chennai, with a scheduled hearing date of November 30.